How To Make Non-bitter Coffee
Stuck at the office for a long time with files loaded on your desk ? or busy with the last hour’s revision for your exam? In these intense periods, a cup of coffee is the exact energy booster that you need.
Apart from that, coffee has triumphantly gained its place in the hearts of many. Coffee lovers just love this drink and enjoy endless cups every day. All of these sound great, but even the roses have thorns. Coffee itself has a bitter taste, and sometimes it feels excessively bitter on the tongue.
Want to get rid of the disgusting bitterness of the coffee? If yes, then you’re in the right place. In this piece, I am going to shed some light on How To Make Non-bitter Coffee.
The Causes Behind Bitter Coffee and Their Solutions
There are some root causes that most likely cause your adorable cup of coffee to taste bitter. By solving these issues, you may discover yourself a better ‘barista’!
Reason 1: Overcooking the coffee
Brewing your coffee too long is one of the most common reasons that cause it to taste bitter. While steeping in hot water, the flavor is extracted from the coffee. The coffee itself is bitter, right?
When you let it steep for too long or merely overcook the coffee, too much bitterness is extracted, and your coffee will get burned.
Solution: Learn the timing required for brewing
Learn how long you have to brew according to your brewing method. You can set a timer as well. Note that brewing for less time (like cutting the brew time for 10-15 seconds) removes the bitterness while still getting enough sweetness.
Reason 2: Too much hot water
Many of us let the water to a boil and then go straight to brewing. But the boiling temperature of water (212 degrees Fahrenheit) is extremely hot for coffee brewing. This is another reason which results in an overcooked coffee.
Solution: Maintain the ideal temperature for brewing
The ideal temperature for coffee brewing is 195-205 degrees Fahrenheit. Your brewer should maintain this range.
However, if you are brewing manually, all you need is some patience. You just need 30-45 seconds to take the water off the boil and drop the temperature to the brewing range.
Another option is getting a kettle with temperature control. Nevertheless, keep in mind that waiting too long after boiling the water may result in weaker and unpleasant coffee.
Reason 3: Stale or low-quality beans
Due to mass harvesting and low-altitude growing, cheap quality coffee is readily available in the market. The fact is, low-quality beans are over-roasted to cover up their flaws. But when coffee beans are over-roasted, the test produced will be bitter or burnt.
Solution: Get better beans!
The solution here is simple: you need to buy good quality beans. It may sound costly to buy a 12oz bag of premium coffee at $16, but hey! You can make a tiny $.30 a cup out of this!
Compare it to the one found at $2-3 at a cafe chain, and when you taste the extreme variation in quality beans, I guess you will never want to go back buying ‘cheap’ coffee.
Reason 4: Incorrect ratio of coffee & water
An inaccurate blend of ingredients may result in a bitter taste. Sometimes we get carried away with too much good stuff and add an extra amount of coffee to make it better; however, this will make it stronger and, most likely, bitter.
Solution: Stick to the correct ratio!
Learn the correct ratio of coffee & water for the method you are using and stick to it. For example, 1 to 1.5 Tbsp of grounds for every 6oz of water used is a good ratio for automatic drip machines. If you are using brew methods like Pour-over, try 1.5 to 2 Tbsp. Using a scale for this purpose would be nice.
Reason 5: Too small coffee grounds
Coffee is a complex substance and consists of various types of flavor compounds. And these different compounds open the door for varieties of flavors. The compounds break down at different rates at different methods, namely, drip machine or coffee maker, or other methods.
The bitter compounds of the coffee need more extraction than the acidic compounds. With excessive extraction, you may increase the harshness of the coffee.
So, you see, just like overcooking, you can over-grind your coffee too! When you grind the coffee too fine, sometimes it may result in excessive extraction. This is another reason for a bitter cup of coffee that many of us might be unaware of.
Solution: Maintain the correct grind level
Ensure the correct grind level required for your brewing method. You can find this by checking the brew guidelines for a specific plan. Also, there are coffee grinders with multiple grind settings available in the market.
Reason 6: Lack of cleanliness
Many of us linger to clean our brewing equipment. The old coffee residue from the last few brews can add bitterness to the latest mixture and ruin your new cup of coffee.
Solution: Keep your brewing equipment clean!
Keeping your gear clean is essential not just to make an excellent brew but also to maintain the equipment’s longevity. Try to clean up right after using. This will keep the equipment fresh. You should use hot water to rinse out the drip coffee equipment. Keep all of the equipment air dry.
Some Easily Manageable but Useful Tricks
Keep in mind the main reasons that cause your coffee to taste bitter and give your maximum priority to correct them. However, here are some extra tricks to remove the bitterness of your coffee.
Adding some milk, cream, or sugar may reduce the bitterness. If you intend to make a black coffee, then be careful with this trick.
Mixing some salt is another option to reduce bitterness. The sodium chloride makes the sodium in coffee more recognizable and cuts down the bitterness. Although salt does not ruin the taste of your coffee as it is still debatable.
Trying decaf is another option as the decaffeination process offers less bitter coffee. One last suggestion is, avoid instant coffee. They often contain poor quality coffee beans, additives, and preservatives.
Final words
It may sound wild, but there are people out there who don’t like coffee! One of the most common problems for non-regular coffee drinkers is the bitter taste of the coffee. A normal bitter taste that the coffee offers is essential in terms of flavor, although excessive bitterness can be a disaster.
I hope this article has enriched you with pretty good knowledge of How To Make Non-bitter Coffee. Well, I’m not saying you have become a pro just by reading a piece, however with proper knowledge and experience, you can take your coffee making skill to the next level!
Good luck!
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